Ed. Note: This was written before Trumpcare failed last night, when we thought it would succeed. As we look ahead to the future amid threats of ACA sabotage, it's worth remembering this lovely couple and their struggles.
Maggie and Ryan Link are newlyweds. The next few months and years should be filled with joy, happiness and enjoyment as they settle into their new family. Instead, it has started off with not one, but two brain cancer diagnosis - for both dad, Ryan, and their baby son, Nathan.
Their entire focus should be on battling cancer, but on top of that, they are fighting their own Republican Congress who are fighting tooth and nail to strip them of coverage that could keep them both alive.
Their very young son had surgery in August to remove the tumor and 6 rounds of chemo. He was at the hospital for 7 months. It was discovered that both dad and son have a gene mutation that blocks the "tumor blocking" gene, so they will both need life long treatment, MRI's, possibly surgery and chemo.
The amount of chemo alone is astronomical. Dad works 3 jobs just to make ends meet. If they lose health insurance, they will never be able to pay the bills. To have to choose between caring for your critically ill child or paying basic bills is absolutely disgraceful. This is not what hard working American's should have to face on a daily basis in 2017.
If they both get placed in a High Risk Pool, the plan behind Trumpcare, then they can't afford coverage for both dad and son. If there is a cap on life long coverage, they will max out in a matter of years, maybe before Nathan even gets into elementary school.
This is the real life impact of Trumpcare. These are the people that will suffer. These are the children that face death. These are the parents that will have to watch their kids die because they can't even get health insurance, no matter how much the GOP swears they will all "have access" to coverage.
